ODDS ANALYSIS
The Mets will have to break out of their scoring slump at some point, won’t they? Not facing aces Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke has to be a positive sign, which is something the Mets will gladly accept at this point. Not only are the Mets not scoring, they’ve been terrible on the road this season, entering the weekend with the second-fewest road wins in the majors.
After getting swept by the Cubs and scoring just one run in the series, the under is 13-3 in New York’s last 16 games. One that played above the scoreline during the stretch was Steven Matz’s debut, when he drove in four of the team’s runs in a 7-2 win over Cincinnati.
The Dodgers are playing well at home and should feel good about their chances with Mike Bolsinger on the bump. LA is 4-1 in his five home starts scoring an average of 5.6 runs in those games. The Dodgers enter the series averaging 4.25 runs per game overall, but the offense clicks with Bolsinger out there. They’ve scored 35 times in his last six starts for an average of 5.8 runs per game.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Fresh off his Major League debut in which he threw 7.2 innings of two-run ball and collected his first four RBIs, Steven Matz (1-0, 2.35 ERA) will make his first road start, taking on the Dodgers. He allowed a leadoff homer to Brandon Phillips to start his big league career, but settled down scattering five hits with six strikeouts. He also had a two-run double and two-run single in the game becoming the first pitcher to drive in four runs in his debut.
Mike Bolsinger (4-2, 2.76 ERA) left his last start after four scoreless innings with a bout of food poisoning. He allowed three hits and struck out four, but was too weak to continue. Arizona rallied after he departed to get a 10-6 win.
Bolsinger is 4-1 with a 2.25 ERA in five home starts this season. He was touched for six hits and two earned in three innings of relief in his only outing against the Mets, which came last season in a Diamondbacks uniform.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“They are so tense and so tight and so worried about making a big out instead of walking up there like they’re going to get a hit. We got to lighten it up, so I said just for heaven’s sakes play the game with some fun, with some energy, with some enthusiasm.” – Mets’ manager Terry Collins
LIVE BETTING or SITUATIONAL BETTING
It’s been a major struggle for the Mets to produce runs and it’s costing them in the standings. The Mets fell to .500 (40-40) totaling one run and 15 hits while suffering a three-game sweep to the Cubs this week. They’re averaging a major league-worst 1.6 runs per game since June 17, dropping 10 of 14 while scoring two or fewer runs 12 times. Curtis Granderson is the only Met batting better than .163 while playing more than seven games in that stretch. Lucas Duda has five hits in 35 at-bats with 16 strikeouts in his last nine games.
PROP TALK
Not many New Yorkers are hitting during the recent offensive skid. One who did is pitcher Steven Matz, who became the first player in franchise history – at any position – to have four RBIs in his first major league game. He did it with a two-run double over the center fielders head in the second inning and a two-run single with the bases loaded in the sixth. In between he keyed a tie-breaking rally with another single, making him the first Mets pitcher to have hits in his first three at-bats. “I don’t like being an easy out as a pitcher,” he said. The outburst isn’t a fluke, either. Matz was hitting over .300 at Triple-A Las Vegas before the call up.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
When you’re not hitting and not scoring runs the last thing you want is to face a Cy Young winner. That gust of air is a collective sigh from the Mets clubhouse after getting past LA’s two aces. Mike Bolsinger is a pleasant surprise for the Dodgers, filling in the rotation after Hyun-Jin Ryu and Brandon McCarthy were both lost for the year. But he’s not Kershaw or Greinke and the Mets are excited about that. Runs were coming when the Mets won 11 straight in April. They were still coming during the first part of June. So it’s hard to imagine they suddenly forgot how to hit. Every team slumps over the course of a season, this one is just much worse than others. The Mets will break out and they do against Bolsinger and the Dodgers bullpen.
New York 6, Los Angeles 4
The MLB odds for this game will be available first at BookMaker Sportsbook. Gamble on the game between every half inning with BookMaker’s live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen in the next at-bat or how many runs will be scored in the next inning. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! First pitch for the game between the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers is scheduled for Sunday, July 5, 2015, at 4:10 p.m. ET at Dodger Stadium. The game will be televised live on SNLA and WPIX.
